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It's motive alone which gives character to the actions of men.

Jean de la Bruyere

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Jean de la Bruyere
Age: 50 †
Born: 1645
Born: August 16
Died: 1696
Died: May 10
Aphorist
Essayist
French Moralist
Lawyer
Philosopher
Translator
Writer
Paris
France
Jean de La Bruyere
Motive
Actions
Gives
Alone
Action
Character
Giving
Men

More quotes by Jean de la Bruyere

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The court is like a palace built of marble I mean that it is made up of very hard but very polished people. [Fr., La cour est comme un edifice bati de marbre je veux dire qu'elle est composee d'hommes fort durs mais fort polis.]
Jean de la Bruyere
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Outward simplicity befits ordinary men, like a garment made to measure for them but it serves as an adornment to those who have filled their lives with great deeds: they might be compared to some beauty carelessly dressed and thereby all the more attractive.
Jean de la Bruyere
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All the worth of some people lies in their name upon a closer inspection it dwindles to nothing, but from a distance it deceives us.
Jean de la Bruyere
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Out of difficulties grow miracles.
Jean de la Bruyere
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Wit is the god of moments, but Genius is the god of ages.
Jean de la Bruyere
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The fears of old age disturb us, yet how few attain it?
Jean de la Bruyere
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It is through madness that we hate an enemy, and think of revenging ourselves and it is through indolence that we are appeased, and do not revenge ourselves.
Jean de la Bruyere
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We need not envy certain people their great wealth they acquired it at a heavy cost, which would not suit us they staked their rest, their health, their honour and their conscience to acquire it, the price is too high, and there is nothing to be gained by such a bargain.
Jean de la Bruyere
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The opposite of what is noised about concerning men and things is often the truth. [Fr., Le contraire des bruits qui courent des affaires ou des personnes est souvent la verite.]
Jean de la Bruyere
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Love has this in common with scruples, that it becomes embittered by the reflections and the thoughts that beset us to free ourselves.
Jean de la Bruyere
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Children are overbearing, supercilious, passionate, envious, inquisitive, egotistical, idle, fickle, timid, intemperate, liars, and dissemblers they laugh and weep easily, are excessive in their joys and sorrows, and that about the most trifling objects they bear no pain, but like to inflict it on others already they are men.
Jean de la Bruyere
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A faithless woman, if known to be such by the person concerned, is but faithless if she is believed faithful, she is treacherous.
Jean de la Bruyere
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A man often runs the risk of throwing away a witticism if he admits that it is his own.
Jean de la Bruyere
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Men regret their life has been ill-spent, but this does not always induce them to make a better use of the time they have yet to live.
Jean de la Bruyere
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There is no employment in the world so laborious as that of making to one's self a great name life ends before one has scarcely made the first rough draught of his work.
Jean de la Bruyere
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Some people pretend they never were in love and never wrote poetry two weaknesses which they dare not own -- one of the heart, the other of the mind.
Jean de la Bruyere
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We perceive when love begins and when it declines by our embarrassment when alone together.
Jean de la Bruyere
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The pleasure we feel in criticizing robs us from being moved by very beautiful things.
Jean de la Bruyere
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The generality of men expend the early part of their lives in contributing to render the latter part miserable.
Jean de la Bruyere
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The punishment of a criminal is an example to the rabble but every decent man is concerned if an innocent person is condemned.
Jean de la Bruyere